Many digital cable, satellite or terrestrial television systems transmit an incoming television signal provided by the television provider to a set-top box or other television receiver. The set-top box may receive the encrypted signal and convert it into a signal that the user's television may recognize in order to display it to the user. Further, the set-top box may also provide an interface to and receive inputs from the user of the television system to allow the user to interact with the system.
For example, the user may utilize a remote control to access the set-top box to select a particular channel to view. The user may input the desired channel directly or may select the channel from a on-screen guide. Further, the user may alter the interface presented to provide a different look and options to the user. For example, the user may select certain channels that may be included in a favorite channels list. The on-screen guide may then be altered to only show the channels that are included on the user's favorite channel list, thereby reducing the number of available channels shown on the on-screen guide. Other features of the set-top box may allow the user to purchase pay-per-view programs, record television programs to a digital video recorder, and restrict certain channels from being viewed by children.
Generally, however, the interface presented to the user and the available settings of a set-top box are the same for all users accessing the set-top box. For example, the program guide and available channels of the set-top box may be the same for any viewer, whether the viewer is a child or an adult. Thus, a child may make changes to the settings of the set-top box or view programs unintended for the child. Current set-top boxes attempt to limit the usage of the set-top box by a child by providing password security on certain channels or programs. However, this may require that the parent enter the password every time a particular program or channel is desired. Further, the child may guess the password at any time during viewing to view the restricted content. Thus, what is needed is a set-top box that can retain information on several users and adjust the settings and available options of the set-top box to the current user accordingly.